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HomeMy Public PortalAbout04.14.2007, Park Tour MinutesApril 14, 2007 (Annual Park Tour) Medina Park Commission Meeting Minutes for April 14, 2007 Special Meeting: Annual Park Tour 1. Call to Order: Chair Thies called the meeting to order at 8:35 a.m. Role Call Present: Ann Thies, Gerald Dykhoff, Madeleine Linck, Bob Pastor, Ben Benson, Brian Kingsley Absent: Galen Bruer (was present briefly during Hamel Legion Park tour) Also Present: City Council members Carolyn Smith and Liz Weir, Mayor Tom Crosby, Planning Commissioner Doug Dickerson, City Administrator Chad Adams, Public Works Foreman Steve Scherer, Office Assistant to Administration Jodi Wunsch 2. Annual Park Tour Hamel Legion Park Main Plaza: After looking at the proposed stacked location of the plaza a few outstanding questions where noted to discuss at the April 18th Park Commission Meeting. 1. Do the Park Commissioners want to build the plaza over all the utility lines? 2. Currently, when snow plowing on Mill Drive, snow is dumped where the plaza is being proposed. Is this an issue? 3. Do we want to wait until the adjacent parcel is developed to incorporate its design into the plaza? 4. Should the plaza be moved to the corner or keep it in front of the road as a trail head? Memorial Plaza: The memorial plaza proposed location was in front of the Hamel Community Building on the east side. This plaza is proposed to include a flag pole, veteran's memorial, permeable pavers, and shrubs. Ideas generated from the memorial plaza are as follows: 1. The planting area should be mixed with shrubs and plants that have color all year round. 2. Connect the plaza to the community building sidewalk with stepping stones. 3. The proposed location is not the best view because it is right behind the parking lot light. 4. There are four options for the location of this plaza: east side, west side as proposed, west side closer to main entrance, and west side closer to main plaza (away from building). Playground Equipment & Basketball Court: There was discussion on going out for a RFP on both the playground equipment and basketball court either together or separate. This would help give the city a better design that incorporates the two projects. One concern was mentioned on putting the playground equipment in a low area of the park because water would sit in the playground equipment. Public works can fix that problem. Other Items: I. Paint the backboard of the baseball diamond. Have an art contest? Or, remove the backboard, what is its purpose? April 14, 2007 (Annual Park Tour) 2. Need to plant trees along the back side of the Hamel Community Building to shade the building. 3. Trees should also be planted along the trail. 4. The park commissioners liked the proposed fire pit location. Rainwater Park Discussion surrounded the future use of Rainwater Park as a passive park and the timeline for upcoming phases of the project. General consensus was to talk to Ryan Companies about removing dirt to level off the top of the park. Also grading and planting needed to happen in 2007. We can wait on final design until next year when adjacent property possibly develops because the developer is willing to help design the park. Additional outstanding comments were as follows: 1. Snow dumping was preferred by the Elm Creek Watershed as a water runoff and water quality control mechanism. 2. We need to talk to the railroad company about dumping their junk in their Right -of -Way or get it cleaned up. 3. Keep non -bituminous natural foot trails. Could mow a path of grass if necessary. 4. One picnic table or bench would be nice towards the back of the park. 5. Dirt is a little high near the road and creates less view of the park. Move dirt to back side or add plantings to hide the view of the rail road. Hunter Lions Park The main discussion at Hunter Lions Park was the need to burn the prairie in 2007. Jodi Wunsch will contact the Loretto Fire Department and Al Olson with the DNR to look into costs and proper procedure to discuss at the April 18th Park Commission Meeting. Other discussion included: 1. Keeping the park signs and shelter color's consistent. Everyone seems to like the natural brown and green colors. 2. General maintenance on the volleyball court includes bringing up sand and taking down nets each winter. 3. Tennis court net needs to be re -aligned and the court needs to be resurfaced. 4. A trash receptacle is needed by the picnic shelter. 5. It was suggested to create some sort of volunteer program for cleaning up the parks. Bridgewater/Lake Medina Commissioners walked around the park trail and discussed burning the prairie. It was decided it may be 1 or 2 years premature to burn the prairie. There was general consensus to keep this park a passive natural area. It was suggested to add a few nesting boxes to the park. The main outstanding issue was naming the park. A few ideas were: Medina Marsh Park, Medina Marsh Preserve, Swamp Park, and Lake Medina Park. There was general consensus not to name it Bridgewater Park. April 14, 2007 (Annual Park Tour) Tomann Property Medina Resident Terry Tomann has a large parcel off Pioneer and Tomahawk Trail that is in a permanent conservation easement. He has agreed to turn the property over to the city at any time and he has requested help with the proper design and plantings in the park. The park commission visited the parcel to get a better idea of what is all on this property. Hidden Lake Park Commissioners walked through Camp Ihduhapi to get a good view of Hidden Lake. Thies explained how this lake is one of Medina's highest quality natural areas in the County. There is one property that is encroaching on the lakeshore. There was general consensus to recommend to the Council to put an ordinance in place to restrict future development near this lake. More research is needed on what type of endangered animal and plant communities need to be protected near Hidden Lake. Maple Park, Walnut Park, and Lakeshore Park The Park Commission drove past the three parks in Independence Beach to point them out but did not stop. Holy Name Lake / Park Commissioners walked around the park and noted the poor condition of the picnic tables. There was also a large erosion problem. Jodi Wunsch will contact Jon Barten with Three Rivers Park District to see if he could look at the erosion problem and give the city some suggestions. Other issues that were discussed: 1. Garbage needs to be picked up. 2. Install small pier to stand on. 3. Block off large access to the water, except small space for ice fish house access. 4. Do not mow so close to shoreline. Ask mowing company to stay 5 to 10 feet away to help with geese problem. 5. Plant more Willows along shoreline. 6. Remove some of the smaller trees to be planted in other parks. 7. Larger trees need to be trimmed. 8. Put wood chip mulch around trees to protect from lawn mowing. 9. When fixing the erosion problem, we should use this park as a "Lake Scaping" demonstration. 3. Adjourn at 12:15 p.m. Submitted by: Jodi Wunsch